Irena Pesis-Katz, PhD

Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing

Director, C-PHOi

Dr. Irena Pesis-Katz is an Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and holds a secondary appointment at the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

As the management and interpretation of vast amounts of rapidly-changing health care data becomes vital to lowering costs, improving access and quality, and building more effective health care delivery systems, Pesis-Katz' expertise in data integration and analysis has been vital to initiatives within the School of Nursing and across the University. Among her many roles as a teacher and researcher, she has most recently helped implement the University's employee wellness program, led by the School of Nursing. The program is not only able to provide population-based health outcome analyses, but gives individuals specific evidence-based recommendations to reduce their health risks, and improve their long-term wellness.

A native of Israel, Dr. Pesis-Katz earned her Ph.D. in Health Services Research and Policy from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Her research areas include outcomes-based quality improvement evaluations, the economic impact of clinical interventions, and the role of quality of care in consumers' choice of nursing homes. In 2009, she was named to the Upstate Health Research Network, which has worked to reform the national consumer reimbursement system for out-of-network health care services. An engaging teacher, she received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2014.